Scenes from a film festival

Director Dilip Mehta, actor Don McKellar and programmer Tony King at the Q&A following the opening night gala Cooking With Stella.

Torn between attending the afterparty or seeing Not Quite Hollywood, a documentary about “Ozploitation” movies (Australian exploitation movies of the 70s, like the Mad Max films), I was swayed by the lure of free Indian food and the sponsors’ wine, beer and Irish whiskey…

…not to mention the opportunity to meet and chat with triple threat Canandian film icon Don McKellar (actor/screenwriter/director, and now a Tony award winner to boot).

Ukulele cover band The Be Arthurs.

The Empire Theatres complex has been renovated since last year’s festival. The lobby area is a bit monochrome and subdued but sure beats the old 80’s brass and glass shopping mall ambience it used to have.

The auditoriums have been converted to stadium seating with great sightlines and comfy new seats…

…with lots of legroom.

The absolutely spotless washrooms look like they could be aboard Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 orbiting space station.

The appropriately named hand dryers sound like jet aircraft taking off, especially when several of them are going at once.

So after 3 days I’ve seen 6 features and a program of short films – and I’m reviewing a bathroom.

Bye Bye Blues Blues

Watched Anne Wheeler’s fine Bye Bye Blues in Churchill Square last night. It was an unseasonably warm fall evening, very pleasant for sitting outdoors watching a movie.

It’s just wrong that this 20 year old film hasn’t had a dvd release. C’mon Canadian producers & distributors, get your shit together. And EIFF get your shit together too – show movies in their proper aspect ratio (end of rant).

The Culling XIX: Back to School

Having finished soundtracks, I’ve moved on to school bands and choirs. Here are half a dozen cuts that have charmed me and will charm you too, I hope:

Tiffany: Beatle Medley (1975)
Not the Tiffany that sang I Think We’re Alone Now, this Tiffany is an all girl group of singers from Spruce Avenue School in Edmonton.

Viscount Bennett Combined Senior Mixed Chorus and “Grad” Choir: This Guy’s In Love With You (1970)

From Viscount Bennett School, Calgary.

The Action Singers: Jesus Christ Superstar (1971)

A group of 14 to 19 year olds from Lang and Milesone, Saskatchewan.

Crossroads: Me and Bobby McGee (1971)

From Holy Cross High School, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

The Jug-a-Lugs: I’m Satisfied (1973)

I like the giddy false starts. These kids are from Coronation School, Coronation, Alberta. Besides the Jug-a-Lugs, this album has numbers by The Norfolk Avenue Singers, The Lovin’ Roomful (love that name), The Half Fast Jazz Band and Toot Sweet.

PITCH: That’s The Way God Planned It (ca. 1974)
PITCH (People In The Crowd Harmonists) and SPICE (Spreading Peace In Crowds Everywhere) were young musicians from St. Albert, Alberta. Our House was an “opera” performed by PITCH comprised of pop songs such as Father and Son, The Sound of Silence, I Can See Clearly Now and others.

Listened: 2,922
Loved: 2,438
Lumped: 484

Philately & bowling

Hmmm, my second stamp post in just over a month – I think I may be turning into a stamp geek. I just had to share Canada Post’s beautiful new 5-pin bowling stamp with you. It’s in a set with some other sports Canadians invented (yes, basketball was invented by a Canadian – look it up). Here’s their blurb:

Five-Pin Bowling
When members of the Toronto Bowling Club complained about the weight of the standard ten-pin bowling ball, Thomas F. Ryan, the club’s co-founder, introduced a smaller ball and had his father whittle down five pins to match. He devised a new scoring system and introduced his game in 1909. This year, five-pin bowling, now the number-one participant sport in the country, celebrates its 100th anniversary. Note that on the first day cover, a bowler holds the coveted goose prize.

I’m surprised to learn that five-pin is Canada’s number one participant sport – seems to me that five pin lanes are getting to be almost as scarce as drive-in movie theatres, with only a handful remaining as 10 pin lanes dominate.